The Mittelfrank Entertainment Company
by TerminalVelociraptor
Summary: Dorothea is in need of your help! The Mittelfrank Entertainment Company is on the verge of falling apart! As the new talent scout, her duty is to find people that have talent! Create your own character and help Dorothea in keeping MEC alive so it can keep on doing what it does best: entertainment! You want a chance to be famous, right? Then join the dying company now! (SYOC: Open)
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey everyone! This is the first fanfiction I've ever posted on the site! I've always been more of the reader than the writer, but I've decided to broaden my horizons and try something new. The idea for this SYOC has been stewing in my head for a while. It just popped in during a conversation I had with my friends about Three Houses. The setting for this is in an alternate universe. I hope you enjoy reading this first chapter, and maybe you'll stick around to read more or submit a character! I appreciate any feedback or constructive criticism you may have to help improve my writing. **

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Tonight shall mark the revival of the Mittelfrank Entertainment Company that sought to regain their high standing in the entertainment business. It would be their first performance after several years of closure. Due to unfortunate circumstances in the Adrestian Empire, such as the sudden outbreak of war, it became difficult for their business to flourish as usual when fans were prioritizing the nationwide conflict over their shows. It was understandable that people had to concentrate on protecting their friends and families. Some of their employees chose to leave Mittelfrank to partake in the fight despite the risk of losing their lives, while others fled to safer zones to avoid being killed or imprisoned by the enemy forces. Since their fans and employees were diminishing at faster rates, Mittelfrank made a decision to cease all operations until better times appeared. Once the war had finally reached that long awaited conclusion, Mittelfrank postponed their grand re-entrance into the spotlight to let people focus on rebuilding their lives and readjusting to society.

Later, in more peaceful times, when all the grieving and remembrance was done, old and new rivals began to crawl out from their dark corners to steal the fame that previously belonged to Mittelfrank. All their adoring fans were swept away in the tumultuous competition as different business entities aimed to climb the ladder and become "number one" in Fódlan. A vacant throne opened the door for the next king or queen of entertainment to be crowned. Mittelfrank struggled to stay apace with their aforementioned rivals, as it was hard finding a place to book their shows. Most of the theatres either had full slots or were not interested with adding them into their events. Things were looking quite bleak for the company until Lampadius got in contact with their agents. The opera house was kind enough to squeeze Mittelfrank into their packed schedule, and this blessed opportunity was one that could not be squandered. It would help them get back on their feet.

Lampadius was best known for their amazing turnouts. Each seat was occupied by members of the high social class. The wealthiest of individuals. People that were renowned and respected all across the continent. There was not one commoner present in the audience. No person of low status has ever stepped foot into that prestigious building... except for Dorothea.

When the velvet curtains were pulled apart, the young woman with her chocolate-coloured hair and sea-green eyes stood at the center of the stage. Dorothea was dressed in the most elegant materials and wore the most expensive jewelry; it was easy to forget that she came from an untitled family when she resembled a noble. All eyes were drawn to her beautiful appearance like moths to a flame. None of them could avert their gazes. She held their attention with a mysterious power.

The audience was silent throughout her performance. Everyone resisted the urge to cough or sneeze as they wanted her song to be left alone: no trivial sounds to interrupt the flow. A choir of angels paled in comparison to her soprano. Her voice was full of passion, but soothing to the ears as honey is soothing to the throat. She enchanted them with her song like a siren luring sailors to her rocky coast. Yes, listening to her sing was an incredible experience.

Once her song ended the audience exploded with various emotions. Men rose from their chairs to clap and whistle with great enthusiasm. Women dabbed tear-filled eyes with handkerchiefs, and blew their noses in a loud and sonorous fashion. Then altogether, the audience chanted for an encore. Dorothea was overwhelmed by their positive reception. She wanted to give them another song, but she was the last performance for the night, and the Lampadius managers were pretty eager to wrap things up.

Dorothea exited the stage, and once she got outside, a lot of smiling and cheerful faces surrounded her in every direction. She was being showered with so much love and adoration. People gave her bouquets of flowers and boxes of sweets, complimented her singing and beauty. Gorgeous blue-bloods around her age lined up before her as she maneuvered through the large crowd. The young gentlemen took her delicate hand and kissed it, while the young ladies embraced her in hugs and pecked her rosy cheeks. It felt like an eternity before she wiggled out from the horde. She forgot how exhausting this routine was.

Further up, she noticed the owner of Lampadius speaking with the current director of the Mittelfrank opera division. She mustered up her best professional smile and approached the older men. Both of them shared the same tired expression.

"Good evening, gentlemen," she said in a tone oozing with saccharine. "Did you enjoy the opera?"

"Truly, truly," the owner nodded. "This morning you were just another little star in the night. You were commonplace. Indistinguishable from all the other twinkles. But now? Right now? My dear, you've grown far more than any of us would expect! You're like the sun! A brighter shine! A hotter flame! Beauty must be your name, eh?"

Dorothea giggled at his flirtation. "Thank you," she said. "It was an honour being able to sing at your establishment. Being on stage again has been nostalgic. I never realized how much I missed doing this."

"Well, you certainly made a strong impression," the owner said. "Did you hear them? A bunch of gluttons! Begging for another song. I couldn't believe they wanted to keep going despite how late it was."

"I'm rather disappointed we didn't get the chance," she sighed. "They all looked so excited. It broke my heart when the managers—"

"Forget about them! You're not the first victim. Those hard-nosed grumps are always refusing to do encores. I never cared about it before, but perhaps I should have a little tête-à-tête with them for next time."

"Next time?" Dorothea's eyes lit up.

"Of course," the owner laughed. "This isn't a one-and-done deal! I plan on seeing you back on that stage in front of another big crowd!"

"I didn't think you'd actually—"

"—bring you back?" the owner interjected. "Why not? If you can arouse that kind of reaction, then I'd be a fool not to have you again! When I see a cow, I milk that beast until it runs dry! And that's what I'll do with you."

"Uh-huh..."

"Anyway," the owner said, "I think I've taken up enough of your time. I've got some fellows to meet before I retire for the night, so I bid the lady farewell." He extended his hand out to her, but then he quickly retracted it. "Um... forget about the shake. My palms are sweaty."

"Oh, please," Dorothea said. "No need to be modest. I've been getting squished between sweaty bodies not long ago. I don't mind one more."

She took his hand and shook it. The owner was embarrassed at first, but when he saw the sincerity in her eyes, it was immediately flushed away. They released each other and he bumbled off down the road. Dorothea watched as he disappeared into the crowd still loitering outside the Lampadius. Once he was no longer in sight, she turned towards the director who kept silent throughout the entire interaction.

"Aren't you going to congratulate me?" she asked.

"We need to talk," he said stone-faced.

"Not even a 'good work' or anything?"

"You already heard enough of that," he said. "Now it's time for something else."

"Like what, exactly?"

The director sighed. "Listen... I wasn't sure how this performance would fare. Either you end up succeeding and put Mittelfrank back on the map, or you mess this up and I kick you out of the division. Since you did the former, you get to keep working for us."

"But?"

"But you also have to carry the entire company on your back," he said.

"I beg your pardon?" Dorothea raised her brows curiously.

"Mittelfrank is losing people," he said. "We already took a huge hit after the war. Most of our employees were killed on the battlefield, or were collateral damage from raids. It took us a while to recover... knowing that people we once knew were no longer around. But eventually we pulled through. After we were in the right frame of mind again, we got in touch with everyone that was still alive, which includes you, and told them to come back."

"I know all of that," Dorothea said.

"Well," the director scratched his head, "only you came back."

Her eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

"You're the only one that returned to Mittelfrank," he said. "Every other division is zero while the opera division is one. Heck... it's not only the talent that we lost, but every single cog in the wheel that kept this company turning is gone. I'm the only director left just as you're the only talent left. All the employees that once belonged to us are either dead, retired from this line of work, pursing another career path, or siding with our competition for better deals."

"And what are the higher-ups doing"

"Freaking out," he said nonchalantly.

"And you're not worried that we might be doomed?"

"Hey," he said, "if there's any consolation, it's that I don't have to babysit you much longer. If the company collapses, then I'll just do what everyone else did."

"But why are you even still here?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I ask myself that question more times than you could count."

"Okay," she said, "then another question. Why have you been keeping me in the dark about this? I found it strange that you'd make me undergo private lessons in my hometown and not allow me to contact anyone. You kept on making up all these excuses and reasons just to hide this!"

"You're quite perceptive," he said dryly. "But don't worry... there's one thing we could try doing to resolve this situation."

"And what's that?" she asked.

"Out with the old, in with the new," he said. "From this day forward, you're not just a songstress, but you're also a talent scout."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"We are going to find some replacements," he said. "And by 'we' I mean 'you' since I'm not in the mood for this scavenger hunt. I'll take whatever credit you get from this, but I won't be lifting a finger to help."

"No way!" Dorothea protested. "I'm not your mule."

"You'll be fine," he said. "Trust me."

"You're asking me to replace all the old members from every division. You do realize I only signed up for the opera division, right? I can handle that, but not the rest of them!"

"You might create some new divisions," he said. "There is plenty of entertainment out there like there are fish in the ocean. So much potential that is being wasted or has gone unseen! You need to find it and bring it here."

"But—"

"You want to save Mittelfrank, don't you?" he asked. "You've always dreamed of working for this company."

"Yes," Dorothea nodded. "It's been my goal since childhood. I practiced my vocals every single day until it met the standards of Mittelfrank."

"Well, now that you're here, are you going to abandon it?" the director asked. "Are you going to leave like the rest of them and watch as the company you admired so much falls apart?"

"No, I'm going to stay," she said determinedly. "I don't want to see it come crashing down. I came back because I want to see Mittelfrank flourish again."

"Then are you going to help us save it?" he asked. "Are you going to become our talent scout and recruit those replacements?"

Dorothea drew her lips into a hard line and breathed out through her nose. "Fine, I'll do it. I'll go find the replacements. But don't blame me if I'm not very good at picking and choosing each of them."

"Relax," the director smiled. "What could possibly go wrong?"

"Anything and everything," Dorothea said.

**XXX XXX XXX**

**Character Application**

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Age: **

**Nation (any FE game):**

**Species: **

**Appearance:**

**Personality:**

**Class (this is FE): **

**Talent (singing, dancing, anything unique/interesting/funny/cool): **

**Likes:**

**Dislikes:**

**Reason/Motive to join Mittelfrank: **

**(I have a general idea of how many characters I'll be accepting in this. Since this is my first fanfiction I want to ensure I do your characters a service rather than a disservice)**


	2. Hiatus

**AN: Hello everyone. On behalf of the actual author... I have some bad news to share. "The Mittelfrank Entertainment Company" will be on hiatus. The author has experienced some rising health concerns and it seems to be getting worse. They are unable to continue the story for an indeterminant amount of time. I'm not sure if this will be long or short, but hopefully the author makes a full recovery and can deliver a story they were excited to share. Please remember that the author is only human and anything can happen to them. Thank you for your patience.**


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